US Senate passes immigration bill

[bonenator]

Senators voted 62-36 to back the legislation, which also includes measures to increase border security.

The bill is backed by President George W Bush - but will have to be reconciled with tougher measures approved by the House of Representatives last year.

About 11.5 million illegal immigrants live in the United States.

The issue of immigration has sparked fierce debate in the US and is high on the agenda as Republicans seek to retain control of Congress in November's mid-term polls.

The debate has also energised the streets, with hundreds of thousands of people - many of them Hispanic - demonstrating in Los Angeles, Chicago and elsewhere. They are demanding recognition for the role they say immigrant workers play in the American economy.

Anti-immigration groups have moved to patrol the US borders and to confront illegal workers in cities around the US.

Resistance

The Senate bill combines tougher border security with ways of allowing some illegal immigrants to seek US citizenship, and provisions for guest-worker programmes.

"Why not say to those undocumented workers who are working the jobs that the rest of us refuse, 'come out from the shadows'," said Arizona Senator John McCain, a Republican and leading supporter of the bill.

The reforms are the most sweeping in two decades but are at odds with the measures passed by the House of Representatives, which wants illegal immigration to be criminalised and tougher enforcement measures.

"I am hopeful the House will save us from this bill," said Republican Senator John Ensign, from Nevada.

There is widespread resistance from both the Republicans and the Democrats, and tough negotiations are expected before all sides can reach an agreement on the reforms.

The Senate bill will have to be reconciled with the House bill before it can be signed into law by the president.



NOOOOOOOOOO:banghead:

[MooCowzRock]

We just need to get it through the house...we have a chance...

[Maverick]

Anything short of them paying restitution for breaking the law, paying back taxes, going to the back of the line for citizenship and learning English is unacceptable.

[GLOBALIST]

Related:

Reid calls language proposal racist (http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20060518-114129-1805r.htm)


Mexico: You cannot have a job if you're not Mexican (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060521/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/mexico_limiting_immigrants)

this one really pissed me off:

U.S. tipping Mexico to Minuteman patrols (http://www.dailybulletin.com/news/ci_3799653)

[firepiss]

Related:

Reid calls language proposal racist (http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20060518-114129-1805r.htm)
[/url]

I don't agree with Ried at all. What does language have anything to do with race?

This rule doesn't apply to only the mexicans, it also applies to the french-americans, german-americans, koreans, arab americans etc..

[MooCowzRock]

Related:

Reid calls language proposal racist (http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20060518-114129-1805r.htm)


Mexico: You cannot have a job if you're not Mexican (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060521/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/mexico_limiting_immigrants)

this one really pissed me off:

U.S. tipping Mexico to Minuteman patrols (http://www.dailybulletin.com/news/ci_3799653)
About the last one, the article makes it out to seem like the border patrol was trying to help illegal immigrants come accross the border, which makes me question it's objectiveness. It was more like the border patrol was just trying to get the vigilantes out.

[jn_powell]

About the last one, the article makes it out to seem like the border patrol was trying to help illegal immigrants come accross the border, which makes me question it's objectiveness. It was more like the border patrol was just trying to get the vigilantes out.
You would think there would be better ways to go about than helping the immigrants come across, which is exactly what they are doing by telling the Mexican government where the minutemen patrols are. Especially since we all know that the Mexican government is not shy about helping those who want to come across.

EDIT: Oh and I found this interesting:
"Last year an internal memo notified all agents not to give credit to Minuteman volunteers or others who call in sightings of illegal aliens," said one agent, who spoke on the condition he not be identified. "We were told to list it as a citizen call and leave it at that. Many times, we were told not to go out to Minuteman calls."
So not only are they telling Mexicans where they are, but they are not responding when they are notified of illegal crossings. Fantastic.

[IrishNed]

I watched the Senate hearings on C-Span yesterday: I will not vote for a legislator who calls illegal immigrants 'undocumented' and refuses to call them 'ilegal aliens,' which is what they are (Senators Kennedy, McCain and Specter). Yes, you may say it's the same thing, but illegal is more descriptive and tells the world that they have no legal status in the U.S. They are Outlaws.

Now, here's Catch-22: Under the bill approved by the Senate, if an illegal immigrant can prove he/she has lived and worked in the U.S. for a certain number of years (six?) he/she may be able to apply for Permanent Resident Alien status. He/she will probably need certification from his/her employer. There's the catch! If an employer admits to hiring illegal aliens, that's tantamount to confessing to a felony.

How many employers do we figure are going to do that??

[Deltron3030]

My mom thinks its right for the illegals to come here and have rights. Im dead serious. maybe its because she is puertorican. but i told her my own opinion and shes all like: but you have spanish roots! you need to follow your peoples paths.

STFU!!!!

Illegals don't deserve right whether where there from. they got into this country illegally they have to pay the price.

Simple as that.

[droogsteve]

This part amazes me:

It's certainly not the first time that Mr. Reid has used stark language in the debate over immigration.

"Our federal wallet is stretched to the limit by illegal aliens getting welfare, food stamps, medical care and other benefits without paying taxes," he said in 1993. "These programs were not meant to entice freeloaders and scam artists from around the world."

Earlier this year, Mr. Reid confessed on the Senate floor that his anti-immigrant fervor "mostly lasted about a week or two" before his wife brought him around to the more open position he holds today.

The guy goes from calling the illegals freeloaders and criminals to calling people who want them to speak English racist? He did a complete 180 from one extreme position to the complete OPPOSITE extreme position because his WIFE TOLD HIM TO???!!


Can a man who can be so easily swayed to such extremes be taken seriously? Does he actually study issues, or just pick positions at random and then take them to the extreme? Did he vote his own position on Iraq or his fucking wife's? Christ, in a perfect world, people like him wouldn't be allowed to vote, much less become senators.